CARL HESTER RINGS THE BELL!

JUDGES OFTEN HAVE TO TAKE IT ON THE NOSE

It is not easy, being a dressage judge. No matter how hard you try, there will always be a disgruntled competitor who does not agree with either score or comments. I know the feeling both as a competitor and as a judge. It is not a great moment when a rider makes a rude comment behind your back but within earshot.

As a rider I used to be quite philosophical about it and rely on the fact that too low a score one day probably meant too high a score the next time and it would all even out in the end.

Only the time when I missed my qualification for the Advanced regionals, I was stunned when I saw my score. The fact that the winner, standing next to me at the scoreboard, said, 'you should have won', made me feel slightly better.

So I can say without hesitation that I didn't really have any sleepless nights over it.

A 'COMMON' HORSE

At the lower levels the type of horse at competitions varies; from cob to thoroughbred and of course increasingly the warmblood.

Marie, with whom I rode PSG and a couple of Inter II's, was a 'common' horse. Whenever we qualified for the regionals, I had to accept that we were going to have to be satisfied with some 65% and if we were lucky end up somewhere in the middle, but I was just pleased to be there and ride in such a great atmosphere.

Marie's mediocre movement was partly the reason for our score. At the regionals the quality of the horses shot up and I sometimes wondered why I hadn't bought a warmblood from one of my Dutch friends. Not for long, though, as we had a wonderful time together and she taught me everything about how to deal with a complex character.

DRESSAGE... OR SHOW HORSE?

But still, I don't quite understand. Yes, when I watch an extravagant moving horse I do get goosebumps. But isn't that about the caliber of horse and doesn't that kind of thinking belong in a showing class?

Is dressage not that a horse, because of correct technical riding and training, gives itself to the rider for 100%, and through full use of its back and hind legs does all the demanded exercises correct, accurate and to its highest ability? Doesn't the 'common' horse, when producing that, deserve a similar mark as the more quality horse?

Okay, the quality horse should get a 10 for movement, but it is so disheartening when the amount of money you pay for your horse decides on your dressage score.

DRESSAGE IS A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND COMPARES TO ART

At the moment opinions are not shared but start to vary, dressage becomes a personal experience and is so much more complicated than jumping, where a pole down or a refusal is what it is. At that moment dressage is more art than sport. Not unlike a painting, a play or dancing which are able to unleash so many different emotions.

FIDDLING WITH THE JUDGING CODE

I am going to be brave and move onto slippery ice. Is it so that this problem occurs at all levels, also the highest , also at international shows? Take Valegro as an example, not a huge mover but still called 'the King of Dressage'. This wonderful horse had a fair bit of international criticism for its high scores and winning two Olympic titles.

Is this one of the reasons for the FEI to want to fiddle with the judging code, in the hope to make the system more watertight? This in combination with the problem that, when three or more judges are looking at the same test, scores can differ; yes, the personal experience can get in the way.

It must be a competitor's worst nightmare to miss, at a crucial competition, a qualification for an international team, possibly undeserved. And how horrible to think that you have missed an Olympic victory because of one unlucky score, which pulls the final score down just enough(something I can't even begin to imagine). A chance which may never happen again.

GROWING AND ADJUSTING IN TUNE WITH THE EVOLUTION OF DRESSAGE

It is extremely important that the sport is alert on growing and moving with its own evolution. There is so much more at stake than some 30 or 40 years ago. What once was for most a run-out-of-hand hobby for the rich - take German Olympic rider Reiner Klimke for example, he was a lawyer- has become a profession for many in which huge sums of money circulate. For starters the horses cost a fortune these days and the whole business is stuck together with sponsors.

SIGNED LETTER FROM SIXTEEN INTERNATIONAL RIDERS TO THE IDRC

So, with the pressure building it is increasingly important that the judges are correct and as uniform in their opinion as possible. But how...I know not enough to answer that. However, I am extremely grateful for Carl Hester ringing the bell in the Horse and Hound and urging dressage riders to give their opinion.

Also, sixteen international dressage riders -among whom Carl Hester, Laura Graves and Edward Gal, just to name a few- wrote a signed letter to the International Dressage Riders' Club, which is advising the FEI, in order to vent their worries about a potential fast-forwarded change of rules to the existing judging code. This after they were informed at a meeting about this subject at the world championships in Omaha. They urge for the commission to not speed things through without having listened sufficiently to all involved; this of course must include the riders.

Something which has become an increasingly sensitive subject, can not turn into a 'quick fix' with even more problems than before. Something which can not only affect a rider's day, but an entire season. And do not forget the judges in this. I want to believe that they are trying their best to turn competitions into a fair happening.

Still, when I watched the freestyle at Aachen I wanted for Sonke Rothenberger to win from Isabell Werth. When I watched him and Cosmo moving so perfectly light-footed and completely in tune with that ping-ping piano sound, I felt moved...

Comments

Add your comments

If you would like to send me a link to your blog please use the contact form. Please read our privacy policy for information abour your personal data.

Subscribe

Enter your email to subscribe to blog updates:

Dressage Training

Dressage training needs variety, including pole work

About Liz Barclay

Her love for horses together with her dedication made her into the trainer and dressage rider she is, today. She is versatile and inventive and likes a challenge; whether it is a technical training question, a confidence issue or a problem involving the management of the horse or pony.

THE FARMER, THE COAL MERCHANT, THE BAKER...

My book 'THE FARMER, THE COAL MERCHANT, THE BAKER...' with the subtitle 'A Personal Impression of the Development of the Gelderland Horse World' has been received with more enthusiasm than I possibly could have hoped for. Click here to contact me and I will send you a copy. £7.50 + postage, or click here to order from Amazon.